6 years later, no arrest in Dracut baby's death

DRACUT -- It was just before Christmas 2006, on Dec. 18, when 9-month-old Liam Garvey was having trouble breathing and was rushed to the hospital.

Doctors at Tufts-New England Medical Center's Floating Hospital for Children fought to save the child's life after determining that Liam had been brutally shaken and was suffering from several fractures. He was declared brain-dead.

Four days later, on Dec. 22, 2006, Liam died.

The state Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death was caused by "hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy due to whiplash shaking injuries resulting in his death."

Although the medical examiner ruled that Liam's death was a homicide, more than six years later, no one has been charged in the case.

The Middlesex District Attorney's Office has remained mum on the investigation. DA spokesperson MaryBeth Long said, "This is still an open, active and ongoing investigation."

Dracut resident Robert Logan, of A Child's Light Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides education to prevent abuse and neglect of children, is not happy.

"I find it appalling that after six years no one has been arrested and prosecuted for the murder of Liam Garvey," Logan said.

At the time of the incident, Liam and his twin sister, Paige, lived at 32 Frederick St., Dracut, with their mother, Sarah Garvey, 25, their grandmother and their aunt. Jamaal Williams is the twins' father.

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Upon learning that Liam had a twin sister, doctors examined her and found numerous healing fractures also believed to be inflicted injuries.

Paige was taken into the custody of the state Department of Social Services, now the state Department of Children and Family Services. DCF spokesman Cayenne Isaksen said Paige Garvey has since been adopted through the DCF.

Williams could not be reached for comment, but Sarah Garvey spoke to The Sun outside her Dracut home recently.

Although she declined to comment on specifics of the case, Garvey said she has not heard from the DA's office in a long time. She said investigators have not yet returned the photos of her son.

In Liam's death, Logan said, "I understand that these cases are difficult to solve and the police cannot simply arrest everyone who had contact with the baby on the day he was brutally assaulted."

Logan knows about the loss of a child through tragic circumstance. His 6-month-old grandson, Devin, died from shaken-baby syndrome on June 21, 2005.

"It took one year of intense police investigation by the Nashua Police Department to solve my grandson's murder," he said.

In 2007, the baby's father, Andrew Roberts, then 20, of Nashua, was sentenced to 15 years in state prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

"At this point, it seems that Liam's case has been put on the back burner," Logan said. "I hope one day soon, the individual responsible for Liam's murder is brought to justice."

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